What is licorice?

Liquorice (British English) or licorice (American English) is the root of Glycyrrhiza glabra from which a sweet flavour can be extracted. The liquorice plant is a herbaceous perennial legume native to the Western Asia and southern Europe. It is not botanically related to anise, star anise, or fennel, which are sources of similar flavouring compounds. Liquorice flavours are used as candies or sweeteners, particularly in some European and West Asian countries.

Liquorice extracts have been used in herbalism and traditional medicine. Excessive consumption of liquorice (more than 2 mg/kg/day of pure glycyrrhizinic acid, a liquorice component) may result in adverse effects, such as hypokalemia, increased blood pressure, and muscle weakness.

More Info: en.wikipedia.org

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23 Comments

Anne Roberts

I Love liquorice and when we were very young we good buy liquorice sticks which looked like a piece of wood .We would chew on them and they would last for a long time .When the taste finished a whitish would remained .We were told it was good for our health and teeth . I still have all my teeth and have visited a dentist just five times in eighty years six siblings all had own teeth and lived to 80+

ninakamwene

Can't stand the taste and smell of licorice. Got it.

Player

People either love it or hate it. Few are indifferent.

Jim Mascair

I'm not a big fan of it in liquor.

Cliff Occomore

Those of us who know of the liquorice fields of Pontefract have no difficulty in de hiding it was a plant! They make a sweet (candy) from the stuff known as Pomfret cakes.